


Problems Of A Once Married Man

by MeltyCat



Category: Tetsuwan Atom | Astro Boy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fear of Rejection, Hurt/Comfort, Prompt Fic, Romance, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21820399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyCat/pseuds/MeltyCat
Summary: A collection of drabbles based on a Tumblr prompt post and my AU Astro Boy universe. (See my other fic 'A Different Path'.)The private life of Dr Tenma and Rachel Prince.
Relationships: Dr Tenma/Rachel Prince, Nagamiya Tenma/Rachel Prince, Umataro Tenma/Rachel Prince





	1. Jealousy Isn’t Cute On You

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the prompts here: https://missmeltycat.tumblr.com/post/182505381408/angstysuggestive-sentence-starters
> 
> Feel free to request some of these and I will add them to this collection!

Tenma was sat in his study, the lights on his desk beaming down onto the console that he was working at. He had been busy designing a special project for someone in need. It had been difficult at first, but now it was nearing completion it was something he considered to be one of his highlights.

He rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb to try and wipe away the fatigue when Rachel walked in the room carrying a tray of tea. It was definitely welcome at that moment, as he had not had anything to drink for quite some time.

“I brought you something to drink. I know what you’re like, you’re terrible at remembering to function like a normal human being.” She placed the tray down on a nearby surface that was a little more clear than everywhere else. “Honey?”

He simply nodded and grunted in reply, stretching to try and wake his limbs up. His back clicked loudly, followed by his neck. He really needed a break. “I can function just fine.”

“Mmm. Well… You tell that to your ghost self when you die of dehydration and hunger.”

He raised a brow at her and turned his chair to face her. “Feeling OK?”

“Not really.”

He knew she’d been rattled ever since Hoshie appeared back on the scene. It had come as a bolt from the blue for him too and it had also jolted his nerves. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time either. His eyes moved down to a small data pad in a pile of papers. “I will sign it. As soon as I finish this project. I promise.”

“You should have signed it years ago when she gave it to you in the first place.” Rachel folded her arms and sat down in the small arm chair by the window. It was dark outside, but she still tried to stare out at the lights. Anything to keep her attention away from that hideous document on the desk.

“I already explained that to you. I was a busy man and it slipped my mind.”

“How the… How can signing divorce documents slip your mind?” Her head snapped round to look him in the eye. He seemed so tired. So drained. She felt bad for bringing it up yet again, but it was really gnawing on her nerves.

Tenma breathed in deeply through his nose and let it out slowly. He didn’t really know why himself. “Maybe I didn’t want to face it so soon after…” He refused to say his son’s name combined with such a topic.

“Or maybe you never wanted it in the first place and didn’t sign it just in case she came back?” Rachel looked back out the window and rested her forehead on the glass. “Like she has done.”

Tenma instantly shot to his feet, his voice elevated in volume. “Absolutely not the case!”

“Oh? Then why did you react the way you did when you saw her, Umataro?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and slumped back into his seat again, the frame protesting over the sudden collision of his body against it. “What are you talking about?”

“What am i talking about? You looked like you were about to burst into tears!” Rachel remembered it vividly. It kept replaying in her head over and over again like a bad movie scene. The way she just strolled down the path to the house, how she rang the doorbell as if she was welcome, how she just waltzed her way in as if she still owned the place, the way Umataro had looked at her in shock as if someone had stabbed him in the heart.

“I admit, it was a huge shock to me. But I’m not sure what you are…” He was interrupted mid-sentence and his brow furrowed even deeper.

“You looked as if you were going to dive into her arms any second, as if I was just an afterthought!”

“Rachel, jealousy isn’t cute on you.” He turned back to his console and stared down at the schematics he had been working on.

“I bet it would be cute on her though, right?”

He sighed deeply and lowered his head in frustration. “I really don’t know why we are even discussing this. There isn’t even anything to discuss. What is it that you want from me? I lost my son, then my wife in a short space of time!” He raised his head to look at her and slammed his fist down on the desk. “I was ruined! Destroyed! When she left me too I felt as if I had nothing left at all! And Astro? When I realised he was no replacement… It was as if i’d lost him all over again!” He adjusted his jacket and turned back to his console once more in an attempt to rein in his frustration. “Of course I was shaken by her arrival. She was part of a very painful past. And that is what it is, the past. I’m not sure wh…”

He was interrupted again by Rachel, though her words were more of a mumble as she kept her eyes on the lights of Metro City out the window. “You should have just… Told her to go away and leave us alone.”

Tenma’s face softened a little. She was emotional, insecure. He now understood completely. In one swift motion, he rose from his chair and moved over to where she was sitting, kneeling down in front of her so he could look her in the face. “You are far too silly for your own good.” He reached out a hand and rested it on the side of her face lightly. “You know that, right?”

She slowly turned her head to face him, looking him directly in the eyes. Her own frown softened as she stared back into the very sincere gaze that met her. “I’m only silly with things I care about.”

He let out a small and deep chuckle which rose from deep within his chest. “Aren’t we all?”


	2. You're The Only One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on prompt number 50 on the list: https://missmeltycat.tumblr.com/post/182505381408/angstysuggestive-sentence-starters

Rachel placed her hand over Umataro’s as he held it against her cheek. It felt warm and comforting, considering the situation they were in and the emotions running through her at that moment. She so wanted to be able to just throw the data pad with the divorce documents right at Hoshie’s face. She didn’t even know why. It wasn’t as if she’d done anything to harm her, or done anything against her in any way. She’d just shown up. But Rachel felt so out of balance, so insecure about her being around that is was painfully apparent.

Tenma had history with her and she supposed that was exactly why. They had been man and wife, they had loved, been intimate, they had shared a life together, they had a child. Could something like that get so easily lost? So easily forgotten? If it was her, she knew she would struggle, even if the other party had done something bad.

She knew Hoshie had left when he’d created Astro. From what she had been told by Umataro, she didn’t take to him, but warmed to him over time. As she grew attached, that was when he realised his mistake. It was bad timing, in his words. Hoshie couldn’t bear to see how he treated Astro, how he wanted to send him away, so she left. She left him, not the other way around and that was what irked her. Did he still hold a torch for her? For all she knew, she was there to try and reclaim him. Why else would she be there? If she’d left because of his treatment, because of not liking who he had become, then why would she be back?

“I just…” She stared into his eyes as he continued kneeling in front of her. “I’m just scared.”

“Scared?” His deep voice almost echoed in the room. “Of what?”

“I don’t want to lose you so easily.”

“Lose me? Why on earth would you lose me?” He used the hand that was resting on her cheek to brush lightly backwards into her hair, his fingers intertwining with the strands. She seemed so fragile in that moment, that he felt almost inclined to scoop her up, but he resisted. He needed to get to the bottom of the issue.

“She… Well… Do you feel anything for her still?”

“What?”

“For Hoshie… Your still-wife. Do you feel anything for her still?” Her eyes lowered to his chest. She felt stupid for being so insecure, but at the same time she couldn’t brush it off.

He inhaled through his nose and gently exhaled, his hand slipping from between the light brown stands of her hair down to her chin where he used his fingers to move her face to look at him. He wanted her to look him in the eye. To really notice and listen to him. “Hoshie is a ghost from my past. I felt something once upon a time. Those feelings don’t always go away.” He had to be honest with her. “The truth is, you always feels something for a person, even if they leave your lives. Sometimes even when they leave your lives in a cruel way… You still feel something.”

He felt Rachel tense up under his touch and quickly moved closer to pin her to her seat, his arms either side of her on the arm rests. “But it’s how we act on them that matters.” He leaned down, mindful of his nose as he pressed his lips against her cheek.

For a moment, Rachel sat still as his lips pushed against her face. She felt a cool sensation as he inhaled air, followed by the intense warmth of his breath as he exhaled and it sent a shiver rolling down her spine. After a few moments, she managed to collect her thoughts and she reached a hand up to gently caress the side of his face, slowly brushing her fingers backwards to his ear. She remained silent, though, wanting him to continue. Silently begging him to convince her with her eyes.

The look didn’t go unnoticed and he gently trailed a few kisses around to her ear where he stilled and whispered, his voice deep and gravelly. “You’re the only one.”


End file.
